Patient Tools

• Your First Visit
• Diagnostic Testing
• Insurance & Financial Policy
• Medical Records
• Prescription & Refills
• Hospital Care
• Accommodations
• Medical Links & Resources

Your First Visit

Your primary care physician has referred you to Southern Oregon Neurosurgical & Spine Associates, PC. In preparation for your first visit to we ask that you download and complete our patient registration forms before you arrive for your appointment. Reviewing them in the comfort of your own home is more convenient for you and allows sufficient time to complete some of the more detailed sections. Should you have any questions about the forms our staff is happy to help you when you arrive for your first appointment or you call during business hours.

In addition to completing the medical forms before your appointment, please be sure that all current medical reports, X-rays, CT and/or MRI scans and myelograms are at our office prior to your appointment. If you are having difficulty in obtaining them, please call our scheduling department at (541) 779-1672.

Please also bring all available information about your insurance coverage, including claim number if applicable. It is always advisable to contact your insurance company regarding any specific preauthorization requirements they have. It is the patient's responsibility to ensure that any referrals or authorizations required by insurance plans have been issued and are current. If this information is not available, your appointment may need to be rescheduled.

Photo ID/Insurance card/prescription card/co-pays:

With thousands of insurance and pharmacy plans available, and identity theft a potential risk, we need to confirm your identity and insurance coverage every time we see you.

1. Please bring a photo ID, and your insurance card with you to your appointments at SONSA. If you have a prescription card, please bring this to your appointment as well.
2. Our contracts with the insurance companies require us to collect your co-payment, patient percentage and/or deductible or your portion of the cost at the time of your visit. Please be prepared to pay this when you arrive for your appointment. For your convenience, we do accept payments by MasterCard and Visa.
3. If you are being seen for a motor vehicle accident, a personal injury or any other third party insurance coverage, these visits are considered private pay. Payment at time of service is required.
4. All Worker's Compensation claims must be preauthorized by the insurance carrier prior to appointment.

Please visit SONSA's insurance and financial policies for more information.

We do our best to see patients promptly. However, occasionally emergencies cause unavoidable delays in the doctor's schedule. Should your appointment be delayed, we will strive to keep you informed and will try to make your wait as short as possible.

If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us at least 24 hours notice, which will enable us to offer that time to another patient.

The Examination

We will first obtain a detailed medical history by asking you questions concerning your general health, your current medications, past illnesses and surgeries. Your physician will then perform a physical examination. Further diagnostic studies may be needed. Detailed information describing these studies will be discussed with you. These studies will need to be scheduled at other facilities. A full written report will be sent to your referring physician, after all studies have been completed and reviewed.

Surgery Patients

If surgery is required, detailed information concerning the procedure will be discussed with you. Our staff will make the arrangements for your admission to the hospital. Prior authorization and/or second opinion may be required by your insurance company. Our staff will also facilitate this process for you, but it is your responsibility to be aware of the requirements in your insurance policy prior to any procedure or surgery being performed.

Your surgery require the services of an anesthesiologist and/or a surgical assistant. These charges are billed separately from the physician charges.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are scheduled for surgery, you should avoid aspirin or blood thinning products, such as Coumadin, Plavix, Aggrenox, or Omega-3 fatty acids for seven days prior to your surgery. Speak with your referring provider regarding any medications you are taking.

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Diagnostic Testing:

Your physician/provider will review the report from any diagnostic testing at your next appointment. If there are abnormal results that require immediate follow-up, your physician will contact you directly. You may receive a bill from Medford Radiological Group for their services to read and interpret your test.

X-rays: can generally be scheduled on a same day basis.

CT scans: most require insurance pre-authorization if not an emergent exam. This may take up to three weeks.

MRI, PET, Nuclear Medicine, sleep studies, cardiac studies, and other diagnostic tests: most require insurance pre-authorization if not an emergent exam. You will be referred to outside facilities for these studies. We contact the imaging facility of your choice, and they will contact you to schedule an appointment. This can take a week or longer to process. If you have not been contacted after three weeks, please call our office to request assistance in getting your exam scheduled.

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Insurance & Financial Policy

Due to the nature of our specialized services, our medical practice sees patients only by referral from another physician. It is the patient's responsibility to ensure that any referrals or authorizations required by insurance plans have been issued and are current. If this information is not available, your appointment may need to be rescheduled.

As a convenience to our patients, Southern Oregon Neurosurgical & Spine Associates, PC will bill your primary and secondary insurance if you provide complete billing information, but please remember you are ultimately responsible for your bill.

Please be prepared to pay any co-payment, patient percentage and/or deductible which is required by your insurance company at the time of your visit.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. Motor vehicle and any other third party insurance coverage are considered private pay. Payment at time of service is required.
2. All Worker's Compensation claims must be preauthorized by the insurance carrier prior to appointment.
3. If you have a managed-care insurance, or are covered by the Oregon Health Plan, we must have a referral authorization from your primary care physician. It is your responsibility to request this referral authorization and to be sure it has been received prior to your visit.

There may be a balance remaining after payment has been received from your insurance company, and we ask that this be paid promptly. We do accept Medicare assignment and will also bill Medicare.

If there is a delay in obtaining payment from your insurance carrier, either primary or secondary, we expect monthly payments from you until the insurance payment is received. Any overpayment will be refunded to you promptly.

Patients without insurance must contact our Business Office prior to the appointment to set up payment arrangements. The Business Office can be reached at (541) 779-1672.

Failure to keep an account current through regular monthly payments may result in the denial of future credit.

For your convenience, we do accept payments by MasterCard and Visa.

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Medical Records

If you would like a copy of your complete medical record, we will need a formal request from you, which must be completed in writing and signed by you or your authorized representative.
Please allow 30 days for medical record requests. There is generally a copying charge for these requests. We will send your records to another physician at your request without charge.

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Prescription & Refills

1. Please call your pharmacy directly for any prescription refills, even if you have no refills left. The pharmacy will contact us directly to get approval for a new prescription.
2. Please plan ahead as most local pharmacies request 2-3 business days for prescription refills. If there are no refills left on your prescription, this allows time for the pharmacy to get our approval to refill your medication.
3. We realize emergencies happen, but ask you to call our office, and not come to the office requesting an emergency refill. This interrupts the care we give patients who are scheduled to be seen. Pharmacies will typically give you a 2-3 day supply of any non-narcotic medication if you run out without realizing it, and need time for them to process a refill.
4. For mail order prescriptions, please contact your pharmacy for refills via their 800 number or website. Please be sure to contact your pharmacy at least 2 weeks before you will need the refill. If it is necessary for us to complete forms for your mail order pharmacy please give us 3 business days to complete the paperwork and have it ready for you. If you call to request a mail in prescription refill by phone, please have your pharmacy benefit ID # (located on your insurance card) ready to give to our staff.
5. Many drug plans will not cover brand name medications, or do so at a much higher cost. We are not always able to obtain prior authorizations for your medications. Generally, you can expect to receive generic medications or pay a higher cost if you prefer the brand name drugs.
6. Prescriptions will only be refilled during normal business hours (Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m.) On call physicians cannot refill prescriptions except in emergent situations such as an allergic reaction.

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Hospital Care

There are two excellent hospitals in Medford to serve your needs. Our physicians have admitting privileges at both Rogue Valley Medical Center and Providence Medford Medical Center. If you have a preference, please let us know.

Hospitalized patients are routinely seen by their physician once a day. Acutely ill patients are seen more frequently. During your hospital stay, you may be seen by more than one of our physicians.

If a family member has questions concerning a hospitalized patient, please call the Clinic at (541) 779-1672. We ask that large families appoint a spokesperson to talk with the physician and to relay the information obtained to the rest of the family. This saves time and expense in repeating the same information to different individuals.

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Accommodations

For your convenience, we have procured hotel discounts for patients and families traveling from outside the Medford area. Any discounts or "medical rates" are indicated under each listing.  Please confirm the rates when calling these hotels as they have changed without our knowledge.

Hotels are listed starting with the most economical.

Quality Inn 
1950 Biddle Road
Medford, OR 97504
Direct: (541) 779-0050
Toll Free: ( 800) 547-4747
Approximately 3 miles from SONSA between the two Medford exits.

Medical Rate: $68.00 + tax for a room with two beds.

Best Western Horizon Inn
1154 Barnett Rd.
Medford, OR 97504
Direct: (541) 779-5085
Toll Free: ( 800) 452-2255
Just off I-5 at the south Medford exit and 1 mile from SONSA.

Medical Rate: $69.00 + tax for a one queen bed, $79 for two queen beds.
This rate is not available Friday – Saturday

Red Lion Hotel Medford
200 N Riverside Avenue
Medford, OR 97504
Direct: (541) 779-5811
Toll Free: (800) 733-5466
Located approximately 2.4 miles from SONSA

Medical Rate: $75/night

Rogue Regency Inn & Suites
2300 Biddle Road
Medford, OR 97504
Direct: 541-282-2115
Toll Free: 800-535-5805
Fax: 541-282-2162

Medical rate for patients and their families is $89 plus tax through February 2010.

Comfort Inn
60 E. Stewart Avenue
Medford, OR 97501
Direct: (541) 772-8000
The Comfort Inn Express is just across I-5 near the Harry and David's Country Village, and is approximately 1.5 miles from SONSA.

Medical Rate: $90 + tax (in summer months), $80 + tax (in winter months) for a king or two queen beds, continental breakfast included.

Holiday Inn Express Medford
1501 S. Pacific Hwy
Medford, OR 97504
Direct: (541) 732-1400
Toll Free: (877) 863-4780
The Holiday Inn Express is just across I-5 near the Harry and David's Country Village, and is approximately 1.5 miles from SONSA.

Medical Rate: $99/night (this is approximately a $40 discount/night).

For patients of Rogue Valley Medical Cente

Francis Cheney Family Place
Provides affordable, temporary lodging for children and adults who are patients of Rogue Valley Medical Center and for their families. Lodging is provided on a space available basis.
2882 State Street
Medford, Oregon 97504
(541) 789-5876

More hotel listings from Google Maps

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